Jan Lisiecki of Canada was born in 1995 and has been studying piano since the age of five with Colleen Athparia and Glen Montgomery at the Mount Royal College Conservatory in Calgary. Janís orchestral debut came with the Calgary Civic Symphony at the age of nine, as the youngest winner in the history of the Calgary Concerto Competition. He has repeated the honor in 2006, and has added several major Canadian music awards, including first place at the National Finals of the Canadian Music Competitions for four consecutive years. Jan won first prize in the Junior Division of the 2007 Virginia Waring International Piano Competition in the U.S.A., and took second place in the 22 and under category in the Manchester International Piano Concerto Competition held in the United Kingdom last year. Jan has had the honor of appearing in the Gala Concert held in Ottawa in 2006, where he performed alongside Yo Yo Ma, Gil Shaham, Emanuel Ax, and Pinchas Zukerman. Jan has been named the 2008 RBC Stockey Young Artist. Jan is also an accomplished composer, and his compositions have taken first in the 2006 National Finals of the Canada Music Week Writing Competition and in the CBC Mozart Variations Competition. Beyond piano, Jan is accelerated four grades and currently studies as an International Baccalaureate student in Western Canada High School. In his spare time, Jan enjoys skiing, swimming, hiking, reading, and singing.